TheUnited States Agency for International Development (USAID) is anindependent agency of the United States government responsible for administering civilianforeign aid anddevelopment assistance. Established in 1961 by PresidentJohn F. Kennedy to unite several foreign assistance organizations and programs under one agency, statute law places USAID under "the direct authority and policy guidance of theSecretary of State".[4] It implements programs inglobal health, disaster relief, socioeconomic development, environmental protection, democratic governance and education. With average annual disbursements of about $23bn since 2001, USAID has been one of the world'slargest aid agencies and accounts for most U.S. foreign assistance – the highest in the world in absolute dollar terms. USAID has missions in over 100 countries, primarily in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.
USAID has faced scrutiny over its role in political operations of influence abroad and potential conflicts of interest. In January 2025, PresidentDonald Trump signed anExecutive Order directing a near-total freeze on foreign aid. TheTrump administration made false or misleading allegations of wasteful spending and fraud,[5] and planned to reduce employee numbers from around 10,000 to 290.[6][7][8]Elon Musk, who has been carrying out Trump's cost-cutting agenda as aspecial government employee through theDepartment of Government Efficiency, announced the intention of shutting down USAID.[9] The legality of Trump's order was contested,[10][11] and a federal court issued atemporary restraining order pausing staff reductions.[12] The Trump administration appealed the decision to pause spending for the agency to theU.S. Supreme Court, who rejected the appeal and sent it back to a lower court.[13]
Creation
Congress passed theForeign Assistance Act on September 4, 1961, which reorganized U.S. foreign assistance programs and mandated the creation of an agency to administer economic aid. The goal of this agency was to counterSoviet Union influence during theCold War and to advance USsoft power through socioeconomic development.[14][15] USAID was subsequently established by theexecutive order of PresidentJohn F. Kennedy, who sought to unite several existing foreign assistance organizations and programs under one agency.[16]
Congress authorizes USAID's programs in theForeign Assistance Act,[17] which Congress supplements through directions in annual funding appropriation acts and other legislation. As an official component of U.S. foreign policy, USAID operates subject to the guidance of thepresident,secretary of state, and theNational Security Council.[18]
Congress also passed the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, which established USAID as an "independent establishment" outside of theU.S. Department of State.[19]
When the U.S. government created USAID in November 1961, it built on a legacy of previous development-assistance agencies and their people, budgets, and operating procedures. USAID's predecessor agency was already substantial, with 6,400 U.S. staff in developing-country field missions in 1961. Except for the peak years of theVietnam War, 1965–70, that was more U.S. field staff than USAID would have in the future, and triple the number USAID has had in field missions in the years since 2000.[a]
After his inauguration as president on January 20, 1961,John F. Kennedy created thePeace Corps by Executive Order on March 1, 1961. On March 22, he sent a special message to Congress on foreign aid, asserting that the 1960s should be a "Decade of Development" and proposing to unify U.S. development assistance administration into a single agency. He sent a proposed "Act for International Development" to Congress in May and the resulting "Foreign Assistance Act" was approved in September, repealing the Mutual Security Act. In November, Kennedy signed the act and issued an Executive Order tasking the Secretary of State to create, within the State Department, the "Agency for International Development" (or A.I.D.: subsequently re-branded as USAID),[b] as the successor to both ICA and the Development Loan Fund.[c] With these actions, the U.S. created a permanent agency working with administrative autonomy under the policy guidance of the State Department to implement, through resident field missions, a global program of both technical and financial development assistance for low-income countries. This structure has continued to date.[d]
Second Trump administration
On January 24, 2025, PresidentDonald Trump ordered a near-total freeze on all foreign aid.[7][8] Several days later, Secretary of StateMarco Rubio issued a waiver for humanitarian aid.[23][24] Despite the waiver, there was still much confusion about what agencies should do.[25] More than 1,000 USAID employees and contractors were fired or furloughed following the near-total freeze on U.S. global assistance that thesecond Trump administration implemented.[26] Matt Hopson, the USAID chief of staff appointed by the Trump administration, resigned.[27][28]
On January 27, 2025, the agency's official government website was shut down.[30] On February 3, 2025,Elon Musk, who has been carrying out parts of Trump's cost-cutting agenda, announced that he and Trump were in the process of shutting down USAID, claiming it to be a "criminal organization" and that it was "beyond repair".[9][31] USAID's Inspector General had previously launched a probe intoStarlink, which is operated by Musk; this led to concerns that Musk's role in the agency's downsizing constituted aconflict of interest.[32][33] Also on February 3,Secretary of StateMarco Rubio announced that he had been appointed Acting Administrator of USAID by Trump and that the agency was being merged into theState Department.[34] The legality of these actions is disputed given the mandate for the agency's creation in theForeign Assistance Act.[35][36][37]
Taping over a USAID sign at theRonald Reagan Building in Washington, DC on February 7, 2025
It was announced that on February 6, 2025, at 11:59 pm (EST) all USAID direct hire personnel would be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs.[38] By the evening of February 6, reports had emerged indicating that the total number of employees to be retained was 294, out of a total of more than 10,000.[39][40] Trump declared that agency leaders were "radical left lunatics", while the State Department ordered them to halt virtually all their projects, even if that meant ceasing programs that helped to eradicatesmallpox and prevented millions ofHIV cases.[41] The freeze in HIV relief programs, includingPEPFAR, is estimated to jeopardize treatment access for 20 million people, including 500,000 children.[42] This drastic action led to sudden pauses in over 30 clinical trials for ailments such asHIV,malaria,cholera,cervical cancer, andtuberculosis, leaving participants with medical devices in their bodies and cut off from researchers, likely going against the principles of theDeclaration of Helsinki.[43] It also led to a pause in other efforts such as wartime help inUkraine, hospital assistance inSyria, education programs inMali, and conservation efforts in theAmazon rainforest.[44] In a statement explaining the threat to billions of dollars the agency spends on American businesses, theAmerican Farm Bureau Federation said, "AID plays a critical role in reducing hunger around the world while sourcing markets for the surplus foods America's farmers and ranchers grow".[45]
The action of the Trump administration also caused frustration among conservatives.Andrew Natsios, the administrator for USAID during theGeorge W. Bush administration, toldPBS that, "With all due respect, none of these people know anything about AID. What does Musk know about international development? Absolutely nothing. He has a bunch of young kids in their 20s. They don't know. They're techies. They don't know anything about international development. They don't know anything about the Global South. They don't know anything about these — the programs and policies of the agency. AID is the most pro-business and pro-market of all aid agencies in the world. I can tell you that categorically. I am a conservative Republican. I'm not a liberal. And I have served in repeated Republican administrations."[46]
On March 10, Rubio posted to X that the administration had concluded its review, and 83% of USAID's programs would be cancelled, involving approximately 5,200 contracts.[47]
Potential competition with China
As the United States cuts back on foreign aid, China may push forward to gain influence. SenatorRoger Wicker (R-Mississippi) said, "I have felt for a long time that USAID is our way to combat theBelt and Road Initiative, which is China's effort to really gain influence around the world, including Africa and South America in the Western Hemisphere." In addition, China often completes such projects on the basis of loans, not grants.[48]
Democrats on the House Select China Committee have put together talking points on how cutting aid too aggressively may give a win to China on the world stage.[49]
Michael Sobolik, a China analyst at the conservativeHudson Institute think tank and a former aide to SenatorTed Cruz (R-Texas), has said, "Sure, USAID was doing some highly questionable stuff that’s worthy of review. But don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Beijing is hoping we do exactly that."[49]
Lawsuits
American Federation of Government Employees v. Trump
On February 21, Judge Nichols cleared the way for the Trump administration to move forward with pulling thousands of USAID staffers off the job in the United States and around the world, as part of an administration plan to also provide those abroad with a 30-day deadline to move back to the U.S. at government expense.[52][53][54] Nichols had previously argued that Trump's actions threaten the safety of USAID workers abroad because many are deployed in unstable regions.[55][56]
AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition v. US Department of State
On February 10, theAIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and the Journalism Development Network filed suit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, seeking a preliminary injunction that would prevent the enforcement ofExecutive Order 14169, along with an order reinstating foreign assistance funding.
On February 13, JudgeAmir Ali granted atemporary restraining order (TRO) and told the government to pay $2 billion in funds that were owed to aid agencies. The government did not comply, leading the plaintiffs to return to court to seek enforcement, and Judge Ali gave the government until February 26 to comply. The Trump administration appealed that ruling to theUS Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, also requesting a stay pending appeal; the stay was rejected. The administration then appealed to theUS Supreme Court, asking the court to vacate the TRO and grant the stay while the appeal proceeded in the appeals court.
On March 5, the Supreme Court rejected the administration's petition, sending the issue back to the lower court.[57][58] In a 5-4 decision, the Court ruled that the government must pay for projects which are already completed. They were the 3 Democratic appointees, Chief Justice Roberts, and Justice Barrett versus the other 4 Republican appointees. However, Judge Ali must proceed with "due regard for the feasibility of any compliance timelines."[13][59][60] On March 6, Judge Ali ruled that at least some payments for completed work must be made by March 10.[61]
On March 10, Judge Ali ruled that the Trump administration must pay for projects completed by February 13 at the rate of 300 back payments a day, meaning four days for all 1,200 back payments.[62][63] A March 11ABC News article reported that, until recently, no payments were being made because DOGE had disabled the payment system.[63]
Case
Court
Case no.(s)
First filing date
Outcome
Notes
American Foreign Service Association, et al. v. Trump, et al.[57]
USAID's decentralized network of resident field missions is drawn on to manage U.S. government programs in low-income countries for various purposes.[e]
Disaster relief
Poverty relief
Technical cooperation onglobal issues, including the environment
Some of the U.S. government's earliest foreign aid programs provided relief in war-created crises. In 1915, U.S. government assistance through theCommission for Relief in Belgium headed byHerbert Hoover prevented starvation in Belgium after the German invasion. After 1945, the European Recovery Program championed by Secretary of StateGeorge Marshall (the "Marshall Plan") helped rebuild war-torn Western Europe.[70]
Poverty relief
Early reading and literacy programs contribute to long-term development, USAIDNigeria.
After 1945, many newly independent countries needed assistance to relieve the chronic deprivation afflicting their low-income populations. USAID and its predecessor agencies have continuously provided poverty relief in many forms, including assistance to public health and education services targeted at the poorest. USAID has also helped manage food aid provided by theU.S. Department of Agriculture.[45] Also, USAID provides funding to NGOs to supplement private donations in relieving chronic poverty.
Global issues
Technical cooperation between nations is essential for addressing a range of cross-border concerns like communicable diseases, environmental issues, trade and investment cooperation, safety standards for traded products, money laundering, and so forth. The United States has specialized federal agencies dealing with such areas, such as theCenters for Disease Control and theEnvironmental Protection Agency. USAID's special ability to administer programs in low-income countries supports these and other U.S. government agencies' international work on global concerns.
Environment
Among these global interests, environmental issues attract high attention. USAID assists projects that conserve and protect threatened land, water, forests, and wildlife. USAID also assists projects in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building resilience to the risks associated with globalclimate change.[71] U.S. environmental regulation laws require that programs sponsored by USAID should be both economically and environmentallysustainable.
U.S. national interests
Congress appropriates exceptional financial assistance to allies to support U.S. geopolitical interests, mainly in the form of "Economic Support Funds" (ESF). USAID is called on to administer the bulk (90%) of ESF[72] and is instructed: "To the maximum extent feasible, [to] provide [ESF] assistance ... consistent with the policy directions, purposes, and programs of [development assistance]."[73]
Also, when U.S. troops are in the field, USAID can supplement the "Civil Affairs" programs that the U.S. military conducts to win the friendship of local populations. In these circumstances, USAID may be directed by specially appointed diplomatic officials of the State Department, as has been done inAfghanistan andPakistan during operations against al-Qaeda.[74]
U.S. commercial interests are served by U.S. law's requirement that most goods and services financed by USAID must be sourced from U.S. vendors.[75] American farms supplied about 41 percent of the food aid according to a 2021 report by theCongressional Research Service.[45]
Socioeconomic development
To help low-income nations achieve self-sustaining socioeconomic development, USAID assists them in improving the management of their own resources. USAID's assistance for socioeconomic development mainly provides technical advice, training, scholarships, commodities, and financial assistance. Through grants and contracts, USAID mobilizes the technical resources of the private sector and other U.S. government agencies, universities, and NGOs to participate in this assistance.
Programs of the various types above frequently reinforce one another. For example, the Foreign Assistance Act requires USAID to use funds appropriated for geopolitical purposes ("Economic Support Funds") to support socioeconomic development to the maximum extent possible.
Modes of assistance
USAID delivers both technical and financial assistance:[76]
Technical assistance
Technical assistance includes technical advice, training, scholarships, construction, and commodities. USAID contracts or procures technical assistance and provides it in-kind to recipients. For technical advisory services, USAID draws on experts from the private sector, mainly from the assisted country's pool of expertise and from specialized U.S. government agencies. Many host-government leaders have drawn on USAID's technical assistance to develop IT systems and procure computer hardware to strengthen their institutions.
To build indigenous expertise and leadership, USAID finances scholarships to U.S. universities and assists in the strengthening of developing countries' universities. Local universities' programs in developmentally important sectors are assisted directly and through USAID support for forming partnerships with U.S. universities.
The various forms of technical assistance are frequently coordinated as capacity-building packages for the development of local institutions.
Financial assistance
National Open Source Software Competition – USAID financial assistance for groups developing technology in Indonesia
Financial assistance supplies cash to developing country organizations to supplement their budgets. USAID also provides financial assistance to local and internationalNGOs who in turn give technical assistance in developing countries. Although USAID formerly provided loans, all financial assistance is now provided in the form of non-reimbursable grants.
In recent years, the United States has increased its emphasis on financial rather than technical assistance. In 2004, theBush administration created theMillennium Challenge Corporation as a new foreign aid agency that is mainly restricted to providing financial assistance. In 2009, theObama administration initiated a major realignment of USAID's own programs to emphasize financial assistance, referring to it as "government-to-government" or "G2G" assistance.
USAID is organized around country development programs managed by resident USAID offices in developing countries ("USAID missions"), supported by USAID's global headquarters in Washington, D.C.[78]
Country development programs
USAID plans its work in each country around an individual country development program managed by a resident office called a "mission". The USAID mission and its U.S. staff are guests in the country, with a status that is usually defined by a "framework bilateral agreement" between the government of the United States and the host government.[79] Framework bilaterals give the mission and its U.S. staff privileges similar to (but not necessarily the same as) those accorded to the U.S. embassy and diplomats by theVienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.[80]
USAID missions work in over fifty countries, consulting with their governments and non-governmental organizations to identify programs that will receive USAID's assistance. As part of this process, USAID missions conduct socio-economic analysis, discuss projects with host-country leaders, design assistance to those projects, award contracts and grants, administer assistance (including evaluation and reporting), and manage flows of funds.[72]
As countries develop and need less assistance, USAID shrinks and ultimately closes its resident missions. USAID has closed missions in a number of countries that had achieved a substantial level of prosperity, includingSouth Korea,[81]Turkey,[82] andCosta Rica.
USAID also closes missions when requested by host countries for political reasons. In September 2012, the U.S. closed USAID/Russia at that country's request. Its mission inMoscow had been in operation for two decades.[83] On May 1, 2013, the president ofBolivia,Evo Morales, asked USAID to close its mission, which had worked in the country for 49 years.[84] The closure was completed on September 20, 2013.
USAID missions are led by mission directors and are staffed both by USAIDForeign Service officers and by development professionals from the country itself, with the host-country professionals forming the majority of the staff. The length of a Foreign service officer's "tour" in most countries is four years, to provide enough time to develop in-depth knowledge about the country. (Shorter tours of one or two years are usual in countries of exceptional hardship or danger.)[85]
The mission director is a member of the U.S. Embassy's "Country Team" under the direction of the U.S. ambassador.[86] As a USAID mission works in an unclassified environment with relative frequent public interaction, most missions were initially located in independent offices in the business districts of capital cities. Since the passage of the Foreign Affairs Agencies Consolidation Act in 1998 and thebombings of U.S. Embassy chanceries in East Africa in the same year, missions have gradually been moved into U.S. Embassy chancery compounds.
USAID/Washington
Samantha Power, USAID Administrator under President Biden
The country programs are supported by USAID's headquarters in Washington, D.C., "USAID/Washington", where about half of USAID's Foreign Service officers work on rotation from foreign assignments, alongside USAID's Civil Service staff and top leadership.
USAID/Washington[87] helps define overall federal civilian foreign assistance policy and budgets, working with theState Department, Congress, and other U.S. government agencies. It is organized into "Bureaus" covering geographical areas, development subject areas, and administrative functions. Each bureau is headed by an assistant administrator appointed by the president.
(Some tasks similar to those of USAID's Bureaus are performed by what are termed "Independent Offices".)
Geographic bureaus
AFR – Africa
ASIA – Asia
LAC – Latin America & the Caribbean
E&E – Europe and Eurasia
ME – the Middle East
Subject-area bureaus
GH – Global Health
Every year, the Global Health Bureau reports to the U.S. Congress through its Global Health Report to Congress.[88] The Global Health Bureau also submits a yearly report on the Call to Action: ending preventable child and maternal deaths.[89] This is part of USAID's follow-up to the 2012,[90] where it committed to ending preventable child and maternal deaths in a generation with A Promise Renewed.[91]
E3 – Economic Growth, Education, and the Environment
Economic Growth offices in E3 define Agency policy and provide technical support to Mission assistance activities in the areas of economic policy formulation, international trade, sectoral regulation, capital markets, microfinance, energy, infrastructure, land tenure, urban planning and property rights, gender equality and women's empowerment. The Engineering Division, in particular, draws on licensed professional engineers to support USAID Missions in a multibillion-dollar portfolio of construction projects, including medical facilities, schools, universities, roads, power plants, and water and sanitation plants.
The Education Office in E3 defines Agency policy and provides technical support to Mission assistance activities for both basic and tertiary education.
Environment offices in E3 define Agency policy and provide technical support to Mission assistance activities in the areas of climate change and biodiversity.
Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance
Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Governance
The mission of the DRG Bureau is to lead USAID's efforts to invigorate democracy, enhance human rights and justice, and bolster governance that advances the public interest and delivers inclusive development.[92][93]
LAB – U.S. Global Development Lab
The Lab serves as an innovation hub, taking smart risks to test new ideas and partner within the Agency and with other actors to harness the power of innovative tools and approaches that accelerate development impact.[94]
RFS – Resilience and Food Security
Headquarters bureaus
M – Management
OHCTM – Office of Human Capital and Talent Management
USAID's staffing reported to Congress in June 2016 totaled 10,235, including both field missions "overseas" (7,176) and the Washington, D.C. headquarters (3,059).[22] Of this total, 1,850 were USAID Foreign Service officers who spend their careers mostly residing overseas (1,586 overseas in June 2016) and partly on rotation in Washington, D.C. (264). The Foreign Service officers stationed overseas worked alongside the 4,935 local staff of USAID's field missions.[citation needed]
Host-country staff normally work under one-year contracts that are renewed annually.[citation needed] Formerly, host-country staff could be recruited as "direct hires" in career positions[95] and at present many host-country staff continue working with USAID missions for full careers on a series of one-year contracts.[citation needed] In USAID's management approach, local staff may fill highly responsible, professional roles in program design and management.[96][97]
U.S. citizens can apply to become USAID Foreign Service officers by competing for specific job openings based on academic qualifications and experience in development programs.[98] Within five years of recruitment, most Foreign Service officers receive tenure for an additional 20+ years of employment before mandatory retirement. Some are promoted to the Senior Foreign Service with extended tenure, subject to the Foreign Service's mandatory retirement age of 65.[99] (This recruitment system differs from the State Department's use of the "Foreign Service Officer Test" to identify potential U.S. diplomats. Individuals who pass the test become candidates for the State Department's selection process, which emphasizes personal qualities in thirteen dimensions such as "Composure" and "Resourcefulness". No specific education level is required.[100])
In 2008, USAID launched the "Development Leadership Initiative" to reverse the decline in USAID's Foreign service officer staffing, which had fallen to a total of about 1,200 worldwide.[101] Although USAID's goal was to double the number of Foreign Service officers to about 2,400 in 2012, actual recruitment net of attrition reached only 820 by the end of 2012. USAID's 2016 total of 1,850 Foreign Service officers compared with 13,000 in the State Department.[102]
Field missions
Pakistani and U.S. Staff of USAID/Pakistan in 2009
While USAID can have as little presence in a country as a single person assigned to the U.S. Embassy, a full USAID mission in a larger country may have twenty or more USAID Foreign Service officers and a hundred or more professional and administrative employees from the country itself.
The USAID mission's staff is divided into specialized offices in three groups: (1) assistance management offices; (2) the mission director's and the Program office; and (3) the contracting, financial management, and facilities offices.[103]
Assistance management offices
Called "technical" offices by USAID staff, these offices design and manage the technical and financial assistance that USAID provides to their local counterparts' projects. The technical offices that are frequently found in USAID missions include Health and Family Planning, Education, Environment, Democracy, and Economic Growth.
Health and Family Planning
Examples of projects assisted by missions' Health and Family Planning offices are projects for the eradication of communicable diseases, strengthening of public health systems focusing on maternal-child health including family planning services,HIV-AIDS monitoring, delivery of medical supplies including contraceptives, and coordination of Demographic and Health Surveys. This assistance is primarily targeted to the poor majority of the population and corresponds to USAID's poverty relief objective, as well as strengthening the basis for socio-economic development.
Education
USAID's Education offices mainly assist the national school system, emphasizing broadening the coverage of quality basic education to reach the entire population. Examples of projects often assisted[citation needed] by Education offices are projects for curriculum development, teacher training, and provision of improved textbooks and materials. Larger programs have included school construction. Education offices often manage scholarship programs for training in the U.S., while assistance to the country's universities and professional education institutions may be provided by Economic Growth and Health offices. The Education office's emphasis on school access for the poor majority of the population corresponds to USAID's poverty relief objective, as well as to the socioeconomic development objective in the long term.
Environment
Examples of projects assisted by environmental offices are projects for tropical forest conservation, protection of indigenous people's lands, regulation of marine fishing industries, pollution control, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and helping communities adapt to climate change. Environment assistance corresponds to USAID's objective of technical cooperation on global issues, as well as laying a sustainable basis for USAID's socioeconomic development objective in the long term.
USAID (United States Agency for International Development) has recently initiated the HEARTH (Health, Ecosystems and Agriculture for Resilient, Thriving Societies) program, which operates in 10 countries with 15 activities aimed at promoting conservation of threatened landscapes and enhancing community well-being by partnering with the private sector to align business goals with development objectives. Through HEARTH, USAID implements One Health principles to achieve sustainable benefits for both people and the environment through projects focused on livelihoods, well-being, conservation, biodiversity, and governance.[104]
Democracy
Examples of projects assisted by Democracy offices are projects for the country's political institutions, including elections, political parties, legislatures, and human rights organizations. Counterparts include the judicial sector andcivil society organizations that monitor government performance. Democracy assistance received its greatest impetus at the time of the creation of the successor states to the USSR starting in about 1990, corresponding both to USAID's objective of supporting U.S. bilateral interests and to USAID's socioeconomic development objective.
Economic Growth
A dried fruit vendor in Peshawar, Pakistan (2007)
Examples of projects often assisted by Economic Growth offices are projects for improvements in agricultural techniques and marketing (the mission may have a specialized "Agriculture" office), development of microfinance industries, streamlining of Customs administrations (to accelerate the growth of exporting industries), and modernization of government regulatory frameworks for the industry in various sectors (telecommunications, agriculture, and so forth). In USAID's early years and some larger programs, Economic Growth offices have financed economic infrastructure like roads and electrical power plants. Economic Growth assistance is thus quite diverse in terms of the range of sectors where it may work. It corresponds to USAID's socioeconomic development objective and is the source of sustainable poverty reduction. Economic Growth offices also occasionally manage assistance to poverty relief projects, such as to government programs that provide "cash transfer" payments to low-income families.
Special assistance
Some USAID missions have specialized technical offices for areas like counter-narcotics assistance or assistance in conflict zones.
Disaster assistance on a large scale is provided through USAID'sOffice of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. Rather than having a permanent presence in country missions, this office has supplies pre-positioned in strategic locations to respond quickly to disasters when and where they occur.[105]
The Office of the Mission Director and the Program Office
The mission director's signature authorizes technical offices to assist according to the designs and budgets they propose. With the help of the Program Office, the mission director ensures that designs are consistent with USAID policy for the country, including budgetary earmarks by which Washington directs that funds be used for certain general purposes such as public health or environmental conservation. The Program Office compiles combined reports to Washington to support budget requests to Congress and to verify that budgets were used as planned.
Contracting, financial management and management offices
While the mission director is the public face and key decision-maker for an impressive array of USAID technical capabilities, arguably the offices that make USAID preeminent among U.S. government agencies in the ability to follow through on assistance agreements in low-income countries are the "support" offices.
Contracting
Commitments of U.S. government funds to NGOs and firms that implement USAID's assistance programs can only be made in compliance with carefully designed contracts and grant agreements executed by warranted Contracting and agreement officers. The mission director is authorized to commit financial assistance directly to the country's government agencies.
Financial management
Funds can be committed only when the Mission's Controller certifies their availability for the stated purpose. "FM" offices assist technical offices in financial analysis and in developing detailed budgets for inputs needed by projects assisted. They evaluate potential recipients' management abilities before financial assistance can be authorized and then review implementers' expenditure reports with great care. This office often has the largest number of staff of any office in the mission.
Management
Called the "Executive Office" in USAID (sometimes leading to confusion with the Embassy's Executive Office, which is the office of the Ambassador), "EXO" provides operational support for mission offices, including human resources, information systems management, transportation, property, and procurement services. Increasing integration into Embassies' chancery complexes, and the State Department's recently increased role in providing support services to USAID, is expanding the importance of coordination between USAID's EXO and the embassy's Management section.
Budget
USAID managed foreign assistance disbursed by Fiscal Year ($ billions, inflation adjusted to 2023)[106]
10
20
30
40
50
2001
2005
2010
2015
2020
2024
USAID-managed funding obligations estimate for 2023 from the Congressional Research Service. Congress had enacted large sums for Ukraine this year, leading to higher than normal Governance and European funding.[4]
Countries with 1% or over of USAID managed foreign assistance disbursed in Fiscal Year 2023[106]
TheCongressional Research Service (CRS) states that some USAID appropriations are programmed collaboratively with the Department of State, which makes any calculation of the USAID budget imprecise, and the CRS generally refers to USAID-managed funds.[4] The CRS stated USAID managed more than $40 billion of combined appropriations in 2023, and had a workforce of more than 10,000.[4] The mean average managed foreign assistance disbursed in the fiscal years 2001 to 2024 was $22.9 billion in inflation adjusted to 2023 dollars; 2023 was an exceptional year because of an extra $16 billion of funds for Ukraine.[106]
The U.S. governmentUSAspending.gov website included International Security Assistance, Special Assistance Initiatives and a small amount of other spending alongside direct USAID spending in its assessment of the 2023 $50.1 billion of budgetary resources available to USAID, about $10 billion more than the headline CRS assessment.[107] International Security Assistance was budgeted about $9 billion in 2023, of which Foreign Military Financing to strengthen military support of key U.S. allies and partner governments was $6 billion.[108]
In fiscal year 2022, the cost of supplying USAID's assistance includes the agency's "Operating Expenses" of $1.97 billion, and "Bilateral Economic Assistance" program costs of $25.01 billion (the vast bulk of which was administered by USAID).[108] In fiscal year 2012, "Operating Expenses" were $1.53 billion, and "Bilateral Economic Assistance" was $20.83 billion.[109]
U.S. assistance budget totals are shown along with other countries' total assistance budgets in tables in a webpage of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.[110]
At theEarth Summit inRio de Janeiro in 1992, most of the world's governments adopted a program for action under the auspices of the United NationsAgenda 21, which included an Official Development Assistance (ODA) aid target of 0.7% of gross national product (GNP) for rich nations, specified as roughly 22 members of theOECD and known as the Development Assistance Committee (DAC). Most countries do not adhere to this target, as the OECD's table indicates that the DAC average ODA in 2011 was 0.31% of GNP. The U.S. figure for 2011 was 0.20% of GNP, which still left the U.S. as the largest single source of ODA among individual countries. According to theOECD, The United States' total official development assistance (ODA) (US$55.3 billion, preliminary data) increased in 2022, mainly due to support to Ukraine, as well as increased costs for in-donor refugees from Afghanistan. ODA represented 0.22% of gross national income (GNI).[111]
US public opinion
In a 2019 poll of the American public, 35% said more money should be spent on foreign aid, 33% said spending should stay about the same, and 28% said less money should be spent.[112]
Activities by region
Haiti
Following the January 2010 earthquake inHaiti, USAID helped provide safer housing for almost 200,000 displaced Haitians; supported vaccinations for more than 1 million people; cleared more than 1.3 million cubic meters of the approximately 10 million cubic meters of rubble generated; helped more than 10,000 farmers double the yields of staples like corn, beans, and sorghum; and provided short-term employment to more than 350,000 Haitians, injecting more than $19 million into the local economy. USAID has provided nearly $42 million to help combat cholera, helping to decrease the number of cases requiring hospitalization and reduce the case fatality rate.[citation needed]
Afghanistan
WithAmerican entry into Afghanistan in 2001, USAID worked with the Department of State and Department of Defense to coordinate reconstruction efforts.[113]
The interactions between USAID and other U.S. government agencies in the period of planning the Iraq operation of 2003 are described by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction in its bookHard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience.[114]
Subsequently, USAID played a major role in the U.S. reconstruction and development effort in Iraq. As of June 2009[update], USAID had invested approximately $6.6 billion on programs designed to stabilize communities; foster economic and agricultural growth; and build the capacity of the national, local, and provincial governments to represent and respond to the needs of the Iraqi people.[115]
In June 2003,C-SPAN followed USAID administratorAndrew Natsios as he toured Iraq. The special program C-SPAN produced aired over four nights.[116]
In the twenty years prior to the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine USAID dispersed modest funds, averaging $115 million, in Ukraine. Following the invasion Congress enacted large sums for Ukraine through USAID to support the operation of its government and civil society. In fiscal year 2022 nearly $9 billion was disbursed, and $16 billion in 2023 causing that year to be the highest total spending year for USAID with 36.6% of its managed funds being disbursed to Ukraine.[4][106]
United Kingdom
USAID has donated funds to international charityBBC Media Action, with approximately $3.23 million (£2.6 million) given in 2024. This funding supports media development, journalism training, and public education initiatives in over 30 countries.[118][119]
Cuba
A USAID subcontractor was arrested in Cuba in 2009 for distributing satellite equipment to provide Cubans with internet access. The subcontractor was released during Obama's second presidential term as part of the measures to improve relations between the two countries.[120]
USAID has been used as a mechanism for "hastening transition", i.e.,regime change in Cuba.[121] Between 2009 and 2012, USAID ran a multimillion-dollar program, disguised as humanitarian aid and aimed at inciting rebellion in Cuba. The program consisted of two operations: one to establish an anti-regimesocial network calledZunZuneo, and the other to attract potential dissidents contacted by undercover operatives posing as tourists and aid workers.[122][123]
USAID engineered a subversive program using social media aimed at fueling political unrest inCuba to overthrow the Cuban government. On 3 April 2014 theAssociated Press published aninvestigative report that revealed USAID was behind the creation of a social networking text messaging service aimed at creating political dissent and triggering an uprising against the Cuban government.[123] The name of the messaging network was ZunZuneo, a Cuban slang term for a hummingbird's tweet and a play on "Twitter". According to the AP's report, the plan was to build an audience by initially presenting non-controversial content like sports, music and weather. Once a critical mass of users was reached the US government operators would change the content to spark political dissent and mobilize the users into organized political gatherings called "smart mobs" that would trigger an uprising against the Cuban government.[123]
The messaging service was launched in 2010 and gained 40,000 followers at its peak. Extensive efforts were made to conceal the USAID involvement in the program, using offshore bank accounts, front companies and servers based overseas.[124] According to a memo from one of the project's contractors, Mobile Accord: "There will be absolutely no mention of United States government involvement," "This is absolutely crucial for the long-term success of the service and to ensure the success of the Mission."[123]ZunZuneo's subscribers were never aware that it was created by the US government or that USAID was gathering their private data to gain useful demographics that would gauge their levels of dissent and help USAID "maximize our possibilities to extend our reach".[123]
USAID officials realized they needed an exit strategy to conceal their involvement in the program, at one point seeking funding from Twitter cofounderJack Dorsey as part of a plan for it to go independent.[123] The service was abruptly closed down around mid-2012, which USAID said was due to the program running out of money.[125]
The ZunZuneo operation was part of a program that included a second operation which started in October 2009 and was financed jointly with ZunZuneo. In the second operation, USAID sent Venezuelan, Costa Rican and Peruvian children to Cuba to recruit Cubans into anti-regime political activities. The operatives posed as traveling aid workers and tourists. In one of the covert operations, the workers formed aHIV prevention workshop, which leaked memos called "the perfect excuse" for the programme's political goals.The Guardian said the operation could undermine US efforts to work toward improving health globally.[122]
The operation was also criticized for putting the undercover operatives themselves at risk. The covert operatives were given limited training about evading Cuban authorities suspicious of their actions. AfterAlan Gross, a development specialist and USAID subcontractor, was arrested in Cuba, the US government warned USAID about the safety of covert operatives. Regardless of safety concerns, USAID refused to end the operation.[122]
In light of the AP's report,Rajiv Shah, the head of USAID, testified before the Senate Appropriations State Department and Foreign Operations Subcommittee on 8 April 2014.[126][127]
USAID operated in the coca-growing Chapare region, including under a 1983 agreement to support crop-substitution programs to encourage other crops.[128] No later than 1998, this funding was conditional on farmers eradicating all their coca plants.[129] In 2008, thecoca growers union affiliated withBolivian PresidentEvo Morales ejected the 100 employees and contractors from USAID working in theChapare region, citing frustration with U.S. efforts to persuade them to switch to growing unviable alternatives.[130] Other rules, such as the requirement that participating communities declare themselves "terrorist-free zones" as required byU.S. law irritated people, saidKathryn Ledebur, director of theAndean Information Network. "Eradicate all your coca and then you grow anorange tree that will get fruit in eight years but you don't have anything to eat in the meantime? A bad idea. The thing about kicking out USAID, I don't think it's an anti-American sentiment overall but rather a rejection of bad programs."[129]
Also in 2008, USAID's Bolivian programs under the Office of Transitional Initiatives and the Democracy Program, as well as separate funding by the National Endowment for Democracy, were the subject of critical investigative reports[131][132] that documented them supporting political initiatives in regions governed by separatist movements. During theSeptember 2008 political crisis, President Evo Morales expelled US Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg and spoke out against USAID interference.[133] The US government had previously ended OTI spending in Bolivia and subsequently redirected Democracy Program funds to other purposes, while denying USAID had interfered in Bolivian politics.[133][134]
PresidentEvo Morales expelled USAID from Bolivia on May 1, 2013, for allegedly seeking to undermine his government following ten years of operations within the country.[135] At the time, the USAID had seven American staffers and 37 Bolivian staffers in the country, with an annual budget of $26.7 million.[136] President Morales explained that the expulsion was because USAID's objectives in Bolivia were to advance American interests, not to advance the interests of the Bolivian people. More specifically, President Morales noted the American "counter-narcotic" programs that harms the interests of Bolivian coca farmers who get caught in the middle of American operations.[135]
Following the2019 Bolivian political crisis that sawJeanine Áñez's assumption of power, President Áñez invited USAID to return to Bolivia to provide "technical aid to the electoral process in Bolivia".[137] In October 2020, USAID provided $700,000 in emergency assistance in fighting wildfires to the government of Luis Arce.[138]
Brazil
During theBrazilian Military Dictatorship, the organization launchedMEC-USAID Agreements [pt], responsible for transforming the Brazilian education politics closer to the USA.[139] USAID also acted in the countries public security. Between 1960 and 1972, USAID trained cops that were involved in political repression in Brazil.[140]
Folha de S.Paulo, Brazil's largest newspaper, accused USAID of trying to influence political reform in Brazil in a way that would have purposely benefited right-wing parties. USAID spent $95,000 US in 2005 on a seminar in the Brazilian Congress to promote a reform aimed at pushing for legislation punishing party infidelity. According to USAID papers acquired by Folha under theFreedom of Information Act, the seminar was planned to coincide with the eve of talks in that country's Congress on a broad political reform. The papers read that although the "pattern of weak party discipline is found across the political spectrum, it is somewhat less true of parties on the liberal left, such as the [ruling]Worker's Party." The papers also expressed a concern about the "'indigenization' of the conference so that it is not viewed as providing a U.S. perspective." The event's main sponsor was theInternational Republican Institute.[141]
In February 2025, Michael Benz, a former state department official, affirmed in an interview withSteve Bannon onThe War Room that Bolsonaro was seen in USAID as "Tropical Trump" and "if USAID didn't exist,Bolsonaro would still be the president of Brazil". In February 3,Eduardo Bolsonaro, federal deputy and son of Jair Bolsonaro, answered Benz in his social media by, accusing USAID of financing institutions involved with fighting againstfake news during thepresidential elections in 2022, such as theInternational Center for Journalists,Sleeping Giants Brazil and Vero Institute, created by the YouTuberFelipe Neto, with the objective of "manipulating narratives and interfering with Brazilian democracy". He andGustavo Gayer also began to collect signatures to open aParliamentary Inquiry Commission to investigate the supposed interference. His accusations are largely considered as fake news and many of the accused institutions affirmed that they never received money from USAID.[142][143] Shortly after, in a speech for the Ação Política Conservadora, president of ArgentinaJavier Milei alleged without evidence that USAID used millions of dollars to falsify the 2022 election.[144]
East Africa
On September 19, 2011, USAID and theAd Council launched the "Famine, War, and Drought" (FWD) campaign to raise awareness about that year's severedrought in East Africa. Through TV and internet ads as well as social media initiatives, FWD encouraged Americans to spread awareness about the crisis, support the humanitarian organizations that were conducting relief operations, and consult the Feed the Future global initiative for broader solutions. CelebritiesGeena Davis,Uma Thurman,Josh Hartnett andChanel Iman took part in the campaign via a series of Public Service Announcements. Corporations likeCargill,General Mills, andPepsiCo also signed on to support FWD.[145]
Palestinian territories
USAID halted its assistance to theWest Bank andGaza Strip on January 31, 2019, reportedly at the request of the Palestinian Authority.[146][147] The request was related to new U.S. legislation, the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act of 2018, that exposed foreign aid recipients to anti-terrorism lawsuits. USAID restarted assistance to Palestinians in April 2021 under President Biden.[148] The agency increased assistance during theIsrael–Hamas war that began in October 2023. Since October 7, 2023, USAID gave more than $2.1 billion in assistance to Palestinians.[149] On November 10, 2023, more than 1,000 USAID employees signed an open letter calling for an immediate ceasefire in the war.[150]
Vietnam
USAID, alongside the Department of State and Defence, has supported NGOs to removing UXO and landmines, and remediating soil contaminated byAgent Orange from multiple regions in Vietnam,[151][152][153] as well as supporting victims of Agent Orange.[154][155]
Concerns and criticism
U.S. foreign economic assistance has been the subject of debate and criticism since at least the 1950s.
Non-career contracts
USAID frequently contracts with private firms or individuals for specialist services lasting from a few weeks to several years. It has long been asked[by whom?] whether USAID should more often assign such tasks to career U.S. government employees instead. United States government staff directly performed technical assistance in the earliest days of the program in the 1940s. It soon became necessary for the federal government technical experts to plan and manage larger assistance programs than they could perform by themselves. The global expansion of technical assistance in the early 1950s reinforced the need to draw on outside experts, which was also accelerated by Congress's requirement of major reductions of U.S. government staffing in 1953. By 1955, observers commented on a perceived shift toward re use of shorter-term contracts (rather than using employees with career-length contracts).[156][157]
Financial conflicts of interest
USAID states that "U.S. foreign assistance has always had the twofold purpose of furthering America's foreign policy interests in expanding democracy and free markets while improving the lives of the citizens of the developing world." In 2008, a report found that approximately 40% of aid money spent in Afghanistan had returned to donor countries through corporate profits, consultants' salaries, and other costs.[158]
Although USAID officially selects contractors on a competitive and objective basis, watchdog groups, politicians, foreign governments, and corporations have occasionally accused the agency of allowing its bidding process to be unduly influenced by the political and financial interests of its current presidential administration. Under theBush administration, for instance, it emerged that all five implementing partners selected to bid on a $600 million Iraq reconstruction contract enjoyed close ties to the administration.[159][160]
Political operations abroad
Criticalgraffiti on a USAID advertisement saying "We dont need your aid",West Bank, January 2007
William Blum has said that in the 1960s and early 1970s, USAID has maintained "a close working relationship with theCIA, and Agency officers often operated abroad under USAID cover."[161] The 1960s-eraOffice of Public Safety, a now-disbanded division of USAID, has been mentioned as an example of this, having served as a front for training foreign police in counterinsurgency methods (including torture techniques).[162]
In 2008, Benjamin Dangl wrote inThe Progressive that theBush administration was using USAID to fund efforts in Bolivia to "undermine theMorales government and coopt the country’s dynamic social movements – just as it has tried to do recently in Venezuela and traditionally throughout Latin America".[131]
From 2010 to 2012, the agency operatedZunZuneo, a social media site similar toTwitter in an attempt to instigate uprisings against the Cuban government. Its involvement was concealed in order to ensure mission success. The plan was to draw in users with non-controversial content until acritical mass is reached, after which more political messaging would be introduced. At its peak, more than 40,000 unsuspecting Cubans interacted on the platform.[123][163]
Studies have found correlations between U.S. foreign aid levels and nations' membership on theUnited Nations Security Council, suggesting the use of aid to influence council votes.[166]
USAID requires NGOs to sign a document renouncingterrorism, as a condition of funding. Issam Abdul Rahman, media coordinator for the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations' Network, a body representing 135 NGOs in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, said his organization "takes issue with politically conditioned funding". Also, thePopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, listed as a terrorist organization by the US Department of State, said that the USAID condition was nothing more than an attempt "to impose political solutions prepared in the kitchens of Western intelligence agencies to weaken the rights and principles of Palestinians, especially the right of return."[168]
For three decades, USAID has been the principal foreign donor to family planning in Peru. Until the 1990s, the Peruvian government's commitment to providing family planning services was limited.[171] In 1998, concerns arose regarding the involvement of USAID in forced sterilization campaigns in Peru. Some far-right politicians in Washington opposed USAID's funding of family planning initiatives in the country.[171] In January 1998, David Morrison, from the U.S.-based NGOPopulation Research Institute (PRI), traveled to Peru to investigate claims of human rights abuses related to these programs. During his visit, Morrison gathered testimony from Peruvian politicians and other figures opposed to family planning but did not meet with USAID officials in Peru.[171] Upon his return to the United States, the PRI submitted its findings to U.S. CongressmanChris Smith, a member of the Republican Party, urging for the suspension of USAID's family planning efforts in Peru. Smith subsequently dispatched a member of his staff to Peru for further investigation.[171]
In February 1998, another far-right U.S. organization, the Latin American Alliance for the Family, sent its director to Peru to examine the situation, again without consulting USAID officials. On February 25, 1998, a subcommittee of theU.S. House Committee on International Relations, chaired by Smith, held a hearing on "the Peruvian population control program".[171] Allegations that USAID was funding forced sterilizations in Peru prompted CongressmanTodd Tiahrt to introduce the "Tiahrt Amendment" in 1998. However, the subcommittee concluded that USAID's funding had not supported the abuses committed by the Peruvian government.[171][172]
Office of Inspector General investigation into alleged terror-linked funding
According to a February 2024 report, theUSAID's Office of Inspector General launched an investigation in 2023 into the agency for awarding $110,000 in 2021 to Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD), a charity inMichigan that Republicans on theHouse Foreign Affairs Committee have accused in recent years of sharing ties to terrorism organizations in South Asia.[173][174][175] In August 2023, USAID's Vetting Support Unit cleared HHRD to receive the grant.[176] In 2024, researchers at George Mason University reported that allegations against HHRD were part of a campaign targeting large American Muslim charities based on the manipulation of poorly-sourced information.[177]
Trump administration's claims of wasteful spending
Screenshot of USAID's webpage, 3 Feb. 2025
In 2025, theTrump administration accused USAID of "wasting massive sums of taxpayer money" over several decades, including during Trump's first presidency from 2017 to 2021. The administration cited a number of projects, including $1.5 million for LGBT workplace inclusion inSerbia, $2.5 million to buildelectric vehicle chargers inVietnam, $6 million for tourism promotion inEgypt, and "hundreds of millions of dollars" (the largest item) purportedly allocated to discourageAfghanistan farmers from growing poppies for opium, which allegedly ended up supporting poppy cultivation and benefiting theTaliban.[178][179] Fact checkers found that these claims were largely false, "highly misleading," or wrong.[5]
On February 3, 2025, White House Press SecretaryKaroline Leavitt criticized four expenditures putatively uncovered byDOGE.[180] Fact-checkers found that several of the alleged wasteful grants were actually administered by theState Department, not USAID.[5][181][182][183] U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, in his February 2025 order blocking the Trump administration from placing certain USAID employees on leave, "noted that despite Trump's claim of massive 'corruption and fraud' in the agency, government lawyers had no support for that argument in court."[184]
During Trump's first term, his daughterIvanka Trump, who served as Advisor to the President, used over $11,000 from USAID in 2019 to purchase video recording and reproducing equipment for a White House event.[185] Both Ivanka and then-First LadyMelania Trump had publicly praised USAID's work during the first Trump administration. Melania Trump visited Africa in 2018, speaking about USAID's efforts and stating, "We care, and we want to show the world that we care, and I’ve partnered and am working with USAID." Ivanka Trump also toured Africa on behalf of USAID, lauding her father's creation of the "Women's Global Development and Prosperity" initiative and emphasizing its alignment with U.S. national security interests.[186]
In 2025, the White House's allegations of fraud led to a drastic reduction in USAID's staff from over 10,000 employees to fewer than 300.[40] Critics, including former USAID administrators, decried this move, calling it "one of the worst and most costly foreign policy blunders in U.S. history", and have argued that the cuts will result in job losses, damage to American businesses, and harm to vulnerable populations worldwide.[45][187] TheInspector General for USAID issued a report on the spending pause and staff furloughs noting that these actions limited USAID's efforts to assure that its distributed funds "do not benefit terrorists and their supporters."[188][189] The Inspector General also warned that $489 million in humanitarian food aid was at risk of spoiling due to staff furloughs and unclear guidance.[190] TheOffice of Presidential Personnel fired the Inspector General the next day, despite a law requiring 30 days notice to Congress before firing an Inspector General.[190][191]
Aid freeze victims
Pe Kha Lau, 71, died after she was discharged from a USAID-funded healthcare facility operated by theInternational Rescue Committee (IRC) while still relying on oxygen to survive. In the Umpiem Mai camp in Thailand, witnesses reported the deaths of multiple patients who too relied on oxygen. The IRC offered their condolences to the family and friends of Pe Kha Lau.[192]
Christine Stegling, deputy executive director atUNAIDS, estimates that there could be a 400% increase in AIDS-related deaths around the world ifPEPFAR is not formally reauthorized for USAID funding.[193]
According to Pio Smith,UNFPA’s Asia-Pacific regional director, the USAID freeze could lead to 1,200 maternal deaths and 109,000 additional unwanted pregnancies in the next three years in Afghanistan.[194]
^Data from USAID reports, "Distribution of Personnel as of June 30, 1949 thru 1976",[20] "Supporting the USAID Mission",[21] and the "USAID Staffing Report to Congress" of 2016.[22]
^The names of predecessor agencies often continued in popular usage. In Vietnam in the 1960s, it was common to refer to A.I.D.'s office as "USOM," while in Peru A.I.D. telephone operators continued in the 1960s to answer calls saying "Punto Cuatro" (Point Four).[citation needed]
^In 1966, the UN would also integrate its EPTA and the Special Fund into a new agency, the UN Development Program, or UNDP.[citation needed]
^The Fulbright educational and cultural exchange program was also strengthened by the Fulbright-Hays Act in September 1961.[citation needed]
^Each particular official statement of USAID's goals is specific to the U.S. foreign-policy emphases of the moment the statement is made. The best official statement relevant to the most recent era is in USAID's 2004 "White Paper",[68] reaffirmed in high-level USAID policy documents in 2006 and 2011.[69] (See the references USAID authored at the end of this article.) To give a perspective of USAID's goals that are as general as possible, the list of goals in this article subsumes one of the goals from the 2004 White Paper, "Strengthen fragile states," whose emphasis as understood at the time was on Iraq and Afghanistan, into a more general goal, "U.S. national interests", together with one of the White Paper's other goals, "Support strategic states". State fragility is understood to be one of the development issues addressed under this article's "Socioeconomic development" goal. On the other hand, the White Paper's goal, "Provide humanitarian relief", is divided in this article into two goals, both of which are humanitarian: "Disaster relief" (which may assist victims at various income levels) and "Poverty relief" (which targets chronic poverty, not just the result of a disaster, and which does not necessarily have to be justified by a developmental impact).[citation needed]
^abcKessler, Glenn (February 7, 2025)."The White House's wildly inaccurate claims about USAID spending: Eleven out of 12 claims about the agency's work are misleading, wrong or lack context".The Washington Post. RetrievedFebruary 7, 2025. "$2.5 million for electric vehicles for Vietnam" This is wrong. This was for more than electric vehicles. USAID launched a $2.5 million fund that provided awards up to $100,000 to organizations with promising new products, business models, or financing models in Danang or Ho Chi Minh cities. The fund was part of a larger effort to bring green energy to a country that is one of the world's fastest-growing per capita greenhouse gas emitters. China has a head start on green energy, but the United States has sought to keep Vietnam out of China's orbit, so the program was intended to boost the U.S. brand in green energy. "$6 million to fund tourism in Egypt" This is wrong. This initiative was launched in the first Trump administration to "increase educational opportunities and strengthen the livelihoods of the people of North Sinai," according to the citation provided by the White House. The money would "provide access to transportation for rural communities and economic livelihood programming for families." There is no mention of funding tourism. "[H]eroin production in Afghanistan,' benefiting the Taliban" This is false. USAID never intended to support opium poppy cultivation or the Taliban, and in fact the United States sought to stem it. The White House cites a right-wing news site's account of a 2018 report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) — whom President Donald Trump recently fired — that found that USAID efforts to fund alternative development projects during the George W. Bush administration (2005 to 2008) had failed. The Taliban before 2001 had successfully banned poppy cultivation, but the U.S. invasion led to a power vacuum that was exploited by poppy growers. USAID was the lead U.S. agency for implementing alternative development projects, modeled after a more successful effort in Colombia, but the report documented how conflicts among agencies and with allies hampered the effort. It's a stretch to now, years later, accuse USAID of helping the Taliban.
^"Mission". U.S. Department of State. Archived fromthe original on December 15, 2016. RetrievedDecember 22, 2016.
^"ADS Chapter 102: Agency Organization"(PDF). USAID. 2012. p. 23. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on June 30, 2017. RetrievedJune 13, 2017. See in particular the definitions of "Large mission" and "Office."
^"donor list".The Legacy and the Promise | LAU Campaign for Excellence. Lebanese American University. Archived fromthe original on March 24, 2012. RetrievedFebruary 5, 2025.
^Wolff, Jonas (2017). "Negotiating interference: US democracy promotion, Bolivia and the tale of a failed agreement".Third World Quarterly.38 (4):882–899.doi:10.1080/01436597.2016.1153418.JSTOR26156150.
^Butterfield, Samuel Hale (2004).U.S. Development Aid – An Historic First: Achievements and Failures in the Twentieth Century. Westport, CN: Praeger. pp. 25–26.ISBN0-313-31910-3.
^Otterman, Michael (2007).American torture: from the Cold War to Abu Ghraib and beyond. Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press. p. 60.
^abTraywick, Catherine A. (February 11, 2025)."'Cuban Twitter' and Other Times USAID Pretended To Be an Intelligence Agency".Foreign Policy. RetrievedFebruary 7, 2025.Foreign governments have long accused the U.S. Agency for International Development of being a front for the CIA or other groups dedicated to their collapse.
^"What is USAID, and how central is it to US foreign policy?".Al Jazeera. RetrievedFebruary 7, 2025.In 2023, Mexico's president asked his US counterpart, Joe Biden, to stop USAID from funding groups hostile to his government, according to a letter presented to journalists, echoing previous Mexican criticism of US interventionism.
Bollen, Kenneth; Paxton, Pamela; Morishima, Rumi (June 2005). "Assessing International Evaluations: An Example From USAID's Democracy and Governance Program".American Journal of Evaluation.26 (2):189–203.doi:10.1177/1098214005275640.
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